Timeout

UK has a new highest mountain

The UK has a new highest mountain after British scientists discovered explorers in the 1930s got their measurements wrong.

Mount Hope in the British Antarctic Territory is 377m (1,237 ft) taller than previously thought, standing at 3,239m (10,654
ft) above sea level, meaning it overtakes Mount Jackson as the highest peak in the territory, by just 55m (180ft).

Previous height measurements relied on the work of pioneering dog-sleighing teams, but now cartographers have used satellite
technology to measure the mountains in the region, to an accuracy of 5m.

The discovery was made by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) researchers as they updated planning maps for pilots operating in
Antarctica.

Mt Hope was found to be about 12 per cent higher than recorded in the British Graham Land expedition in 1936.

Adrian Fox, 52, of BAS, said: "It's fascinating that even in 2017 we are still discovering things about Antarctica - the
mapping and our understanding of the continent is constantly evolving."